Closer to Home
by GenieMaster
Summary: Curtis and Goldie are falling in love, but neither knows how the other feels! It's up to Howdy and Dexter to hatch a plot to get them together forever...but what happens next is something nobody expected. Curtis/Goldie, Howdy/Dexter
1. The Ring

Hey! Geniemaster here! This is my latest fic, fulfilling a request from Ringa Ham to write another story about Howdy and Dexter. My first chapter's kinda short, but it'll get better as it goes along. Review if you please, flames welcome as always, and don't forget to check out my other new fic if you haven't already – "The Nagging Dark," starring Boss.

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Curtis sighed heavily, resting his head in one hand and slowly stroking the top of Dexter's head with the other.

"Oh, to be a fool in love," he sighed, then clicked the door of Dexter's cage shut, clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing back and forth across the room. "I can't stop thinking about her...I just can't think about anything else..."

Dexter rolled his eyes. They went through this every night, after the store closed. Before going home, Curtis would always launch into this nervous rant about his lovesickness and how only one thing would cure it but he hadn't the courage to do it. He never once mentioned her name, but Dexter always knew exactly who he was talking about. Wasn't it obvious? Ever since the ham-hams had worked together to rebuild their friendship, Curtis had been falling all over himself whenever he was around Goldie.

"You're lucky, my furry friend," he said, looking once again at Dexter, "not to have to worry about such matters, not to know the feeling of an aching heart..."

You have no idea, Dexter thought to himself, his eyes continuing to lazily follow Curtis' constant pacing.

Suddenly, Curtis paused. He walked over to the cash register and opened it. From a small compartment beneath where the money was stored, he took a small box.

He turned and said, "Dexter, there's something I want to show you."

Dexter's ears perked up a bit.

Curtis brought the box over to Dexter's cage and bent down so that they were at eye level with one another.

"I just bought this today, and I can't wait to give it to her," he said. Then he gingerly opened the box, revealing a scintillating diamond engagement ring.

Dexter's eyes widened, the glimmer of the stone reflecting in them. He had to hand it to Curtis - that was some rock. How could any woman say no?

Curtis sighed and closed the box again.

"But," he said, "I know I'll never have the courage...You just wait, I bet I'll take so long in giving it to her that she'll find another guy, and I'll have lost the love of my life..." He replaced the box in the cash register drawer, locked it back up and put on his coat to leave. "I…haven't even kissed her yet," he admitted, his back turned. "I don't think she knows I love her. I don't even know how she feels about me."

Poor guy, Dexter thought to himself. I wonder if there's some way I could help him out…

"See you tomorrow," Curtis said to Dexter solemnly, and headed out the door, locking it behind him.

---

At about the same time, Goldie was finishing closing up the grocery store for the night. She seemed more distracted than usual, however, as Howdy noticed from his cage.

"C'mon, mom, let's go," Zach mumbled impatiently, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door.

"Be patient," Goldie scolded, escaping his grasp. "I ain't finished cleaning up just yet." Then she sighed and murmured, more to herself than to her son, "Sometimes we...just have to wait longer than we expect for the things we really want."

Howdy was tired but he quickly picked up on Goldie's meaning, although it went entirely over Zach's head. Goldie never talked about Curtis around Zach - which was why Howdy had never heard her mention him. But the two shop owners had been spending more and more time together recently, and from what Dexter had told him, Howdy knew that Curtis had it real bad for Goldie. He wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Goldie felt the same way, but as far as he knew the two were still at the "just friends" level.

Alas, it was a truly sad situation. Howdy sighed as he watched Goldie turn the "Open" sign to "Closed" and head out the door with her son. He wondered if things would ever change...

Little did he know that before long, things were going to change more than he had ever expected.

---

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Review review review! For I shall love thee forever if you do.


	2. A Mission of Love!

Hey folks! Now that I've made my reappearance, it seems I've gotten a couple of requests to continue this fic. I had actually completely forgotten it even existed, but now I'm excited to be working on it again. I'll try to devote relatively equal amounts of time to this & "The Nagging Dark." I'll try to update one or the other at least every week or so.

So anyway, without further ado, here is the looooong-awaited chapter 2 of "Closer to Home." It's another short chapter but things should pick up soon. Don't forget to review, pretty please!

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"Howdy!"

It was early in the morning, the sun was shining gaily, and Dexter was standing on the windowsill of Goldie's grocery store, waving his arms and generally making a fool of himself. Howdy, annoyed at being so rudely awakened from what had been a peaceful sleep, ignored him. Finally, Dexter jumped down from the windowsill and made his way over to Howdy's cage.

"Howdy, wake up!" he shouted again, shaking the bars of Howdy's cage for emphasis; Howdy groaned and rolled over.

"Whaaaaat?" he asked, making no effort to mask his irritation.

"I have news!" Dexter replied, grinning.

"Can't it wait?" Howdy asked. "I was gonna sleep in today. Not all of us can be so damn peppy in the mornin'."

"It's about Curtis. And Goldie," Dexter replied.

At this, Howdy perked up a little bit. He sat up and gave Dexter a quizzical look.

"Well, go on then."

"He bought a ring."

"What?"

"An engagement ring."

"What??!"

"Yep."

Howdy jumped to his feet, squeezed through the door of his cage and threw his arms around Dexter.

"This is fantastic!"

"Yeah, well, he's too shy to actually give it to her," Dexter admitted, wrestling free of Howdy's grasp. "So I was thinking maybe we need to step in. You know, give him a little nudge or something. I'm just not sure how."

"Well, that's easy," Howdy replied.

"Hmm?"

"We just have to give Goldie the ring for him." Howdy smirked, evidently very proud of himself for coming up with this idea. "You know where the ring is?"

"Yeah, Curtis hid it in the cash register."

"And the key to the cash register?"

"Well, he takes it home with him every night, but I don't imagine it would be too hard to get a hold of."

"Then this'll be a cinch!" Howdy exclaimed, excited at the prospect. "We can get the ring tonight, after Curtis closes up shop, and then leave it somewhere for Goldie to find when she comes in to open the grocery store tomorrow morning."

"But how will she know it's from Curtis?"

"Who else would it be?" Howdy asked. "And besides, even if she doesn't make the connection right away…You know how they always take their lunch breaks together? She's sure to bring it up."

"Alright, I guess I'm game," Dexter agreed. "Maybe we could round up some help at the clubhouse."

Howdy nodded. "Let's go!" He grabbed Dexter by the paw and took off.

---

"Who wants to go on a mission?" Howdy shouted emphatically as he burst through the clubhouse door, Dexter following close behind.

Hamtaro was seated at the table, but leapt eagerly to his feet upon hearing the word "mission."

"I love missions!" he replied, nearly bursting at the seams. "What sort of mission?"

"Calm down, it's not _that_ exciting," Dexter interjected. "See, I just found out last night that Curtis – "

"Curtis bought an engagement ring for Goldie!" Howdy finished.

"An engagement ring?" Bijou gasped, her eyes wide. "How romantic!"

"Sure, it's romantic," Dexter sighed. "But he's a complete mess around her. I don't know how he's going to be able to work up the courage to give it to her. So we thought maybe – "

"That we could give Goldie the ring for him!" Howdy shouted, grinning broadly.

"A mission of love!" Hamtaro declared. "That's the best kind of mission!"

"Count me in!" Boss added, pumping his fist in the air. The others agreed that this was indeed a mission worthy of undertaking.

"In that case," Dexter said, "we'll need to formulate a plan of action."

Howdy threw an arm around Dexter's shoulders, unable to hide his enthusiasm (though not really trying to, either). "This is gonna be great!" he proclaimed, and Dexter couldn't help but smile.

---

Sorry this was such a short chapter! Longer one next time, I promise!

-Genie


	3. Proposal

Hey everyone! Sorry for not getting this updated sooner. It took me a while to write this chapter because I kept jumping ahead of myself to write parts of other chapters that were more fun to write…which means hopefully I'll get later chapters done faster? Anyway, hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

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The plan was in place, and so were the hamsters waiting to carry it out. It was almost closing time for both Curtis and Goldie. Dexter and Howdy were waiting patiently in their respective cages within their owners' shops, while the rest of the Ham-Hams had been assigned to various teams, each with its own objective to complete.

Boss, Hamtaro, and Oxnard were the force behind Team Locksmith. They were responsible for obtaining the cash register key by any means necessary.

Team Acquisition was composed of Cappy, Stan, Panda and Maxwell. Their job was to sneak into the glasses shop as Curtis was locking up and, with Dexter's help, find a way for Team Locksmith to get into the store once they arrived with the key; then, together, retrieve the ring from the cash register.

Finally, Team Exhibition, consisting entirely of girls – Bijou, Sandy, Pashmina, and Penelope – was responsible for finding a prominent place to display the ring in order for Goldie to find it upon entering the store in the morning. They would sneak into the grocery store as Goldie was closing up and wait for the others to deliver the ring.

"Well, time to go home," Curtis was mumbling to himself as he took his coat off the hook by the door and put it on. He turned to Dexter and smiled weakly. "Sweet dreams, little guy." Dexter returned the smile, then watched intently as Curtis opened the door, locked it, and began to pull it closed. As the door was closing, four sets of paws pattered across the doorway as planned. The door clicked shut, and Dexter sprang from his cage and waved to the four hamsters below him.

"Yo, Dex!" Stan shouted up at him, waving back. "What's the plan?"

"Well," Dexter replied, making his way down to the floor where the group was waiting, "I figure we can either find a way to prop the window open, or look for some sort of passage into the store that's wide enough for a hamster to fit through. I've never come into the store by any means other than the front door, and since the store's closed that won't be an option now."

"Right," Maxwell said. "So, should we start looking for another entrance?"

Dexter nodded. "Let's spread out and cover the entire store as quickly as possible; then, if we don't have any luck with that, we'll get to work on the window."

---

"Come on, Zach!" Goldie called to her son as she stood at the door of the grocery store, ready to head home for the night. She had one hand on the knob and one foot out the door when she noticed Curtis leaving his shop next door. She pretended not to see him at first, but then his hand was on her shoulder and she looked up, feigning surprise.

"Oh – Curtis!" she said with a smile. "On your way home?"

Curtis nodded. "I was wondering if you would, er, I mean…if you could use a ride home?" Curtis normally drove his Fiat Panda to work, while Goldie and Zach lived a bit closer to town and usually took the bus, as had been the case this morning. This was the first time Curtis had offered to escort her home – not because he was impolite, but simply because he was so damn shy.

Goldie's grin widened and a faint blush crossed her cheeks. "That would be lovely," she replied. The she turned her attention back to her son. "Zach!" she yelled, her tone shifting rather suddenly from affection to impatience. "Get your butt out here! You're keeping Mr. Milan waiting!"

"Coming, mom!" Zach replied, and soon appeared at the doorway.

"Well then," Curtis said, "shall we?"

Goldie closed and locked the door, then smiled and held out her hand. Somewhat hesitantly, Curtis took it in his own and they headed for his car.

---

"You sure this is the right car?" Boss asked, examining the vehicle in front of him. He, Hamtaro and Oxnard were standing in a parking lot near Curtis' and Goldie's stores, waiting for Curtis to appear. If they were lucky, they could jump into the car as soon as Curtis opened the door, find the cash register key and exit the car before Curtis hit the gas.

Hamtaro examined a small scrap of paper in his paws, on which Dexter had written the license plate number for Curtis' car. "Yup, it's a match!" he declared proudly.

"Guys?" Oxnard said tentatively. "I think they're coming."

"'They'?" Boss asked.

"Mm-hmm," Oxnard nodded, pointing towards the three people heading in their direction.

"He must be driving Goldie and Zach home, too!" Hamtaro said, ever the observant one.

"Quick, hide!" Boss said, and dove behind the front right tire of the car. Hamtaro and Oxnard quickly followed suit.

Curtis approached the passenger side door and opened it for Goldie, while Zach climbed into the back seat. Then Curtis made his way over to the driver's side and opened the door.

"Now!" Boss shouted, and the three hamsters jumped into the front of the car, just as Curtis was getting in. Curtis produced a ring of keys from his pocket and proceeded to start the car.

"Is one of those keys the one we're looking for?" Oxnard asked.

Hamtaro shook his head. "Dexter said that Curtis keeps the cash register key separate from his car and house keys…"

"Got it!"

Hamtaro and Oxnard looked up. Boss had made his way onto the seat next to Curtis, somehow avoiding detection, and produced another key from Curtis' pocket, this one attached to a lanyard.

"Awesome, Boss!" Hamtaro gushed.

"But now how do we get out of the car?" Oxnard queried.

Boss and Hamtaro glanced about the car. Oxnard made a good point.

Curtis put the car into drive and started to pull out of the parking lot, leaving the three hamsters frantically attempting to find an exit. Just then, however, Goldie spoke up.

"Oh, shoot. Curtis, wait. I forgot my purse."

"Mmm?" Curtis hit the brakes and looked over at her.

"Just wait here a minute, I'll be back soon."

"Looks like we got lucky," Boss announced, and he, Hamtaro and Oxnard followed Goldie as she opened the car door and stepped out.

---

"This is so exciting!" Bijou was gushing in anticipation, overjoyed to be playing a role in Curtis' proposal. She, Pashmina, Sandy and Penelope had snuck into the grocery store while Goldie had been waiting at the door for Zach, and now the four of them were analyzing every possible prominent location for its suitability as a place to display Goldie's engagement ring.

"I guess, if you're into that lovey-dovey stuff," Howdy replied. He couldn't figure out why it mattered so much to the girls where they left the ring, but at the same time he was having trouble hiding the fact that he, too, was excited.

Before the girls could determine an appropriate location for the ring, however, the door of the grocery store swung open and Goldie appeared.

"Look out!" Sandy exclaimed, being the first one to notice Goldie's entrance. She and the other girls quickly removed themselves from Goldie's line of sight, diving for cover behind random objects nearby, as Goldie made her way behind the grocery counter to retrieve her purse.

---

Meanwhile, Boss, Hamtaro and Oxnard were heading for Curtis' store, Boss carrying the lanyard that held the key to the cash register. As they approached the store front, they saw Dexter waiting for them.

"This way," he said, then led the three of them around the side of the store to where a small gap in the brickwork led to a tunnel into the store just big enough for a hamster to fit through. Once inside, they met up with Maxwell, Stan and Panda and set to work retrieving the ring from the cash register.

---

"So, Zach," Curtis said, "how's school going?" The two of them were still waiting in the car for Goldie. Curtis wasn't the best at making small talk with children, but he figured if he was going to ask Goldie to marry him, he needed Zach's approval.

"S'okay," Zach replied. He was looking out the window blankly, but after a brief moment of silence he turned and looked at Curtis. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Curtis replied. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you like my mom?"

Curtis wasn't sure how to respond. After an uncomfortably long hesitation, he let out a short, forced laugh and replied, "Well, sure I do. Your mother is a very kind woman, I'm sure lots of people like her."

Zach sighed. "Come on, you know what I mean. You're crushing on my mom, aren't you?"

"Well, I…" Curtis started to answer, but he didn't know what to say. Luckily, he didn't have to think about it for too long, as Zach quickly continued.

"I mean, it's ok if you are," he said. "Anyway, I think she likes you too. The way she acts around you, I mean – I know I'm just a kid, but I can tell."

"Really?" Curtis couldn't believe what he was hearing. Goldie liked him! And even better, Zach was fine with it. Maybe he could find the courage to propose after all!

With that thought, Curtis' mind immediately went to the ring he had hidden in the cash register, and his hand instinctively moved to his pocket where he had put the key, only to find that it was empty.

_Must have left it behind_, Curtis thought to himself. _Although I could have sworn I had it with me when I left the shop_…

"Zach, I've got to go back to my shop and get something I left behind," Curtis said to his companion. "You had better come with me, I don't think your mother would appreciate it if I left you here all by yourself."

"Ok." Zach was smiling broadly as he followed Curtis out of the car and back towards his shop.

---

Boss had just lifted the engagement ring from its hiding place in the cash register when the door to the shop opened and Curtis appeared in the doorway, Zach in tow.

"Curtis?!" Dexter shouted in surprise. "Boss, get down, quick!"

Boss looked towards the doorway, saw Curtis making his way into the shop, and immediately leapt down from the cash register to the floor, carrying the ring in its box. As soon as he hit the floor, he made a beeline for the passageway through which he had entered the store. Hamtaro, Oxnard, Maxwell, Stan, Cappy and Panda followed him, while Dexter made his way quickly back to his cage.

Hearing a clatter from the cash register drawer, Curtis looked towards the counter and gasped, seeing that the drawer was open.

"Oh, no," he said as he came closer and inspected the contents of the drawer. "Oh, no! It's – it's gone!"

"What?" Zach asked. "What's gone?"

"N-nothing!" Curtis replied. "I mean, something – something important!" He began frantically searching every corner of the store; then, having turned everything upside down, he ran out the door and started searching the bushes outside his shop.

Boss and the others had just exited the shop through the hidden passageway when Curtis appeared right in front of them, tearing through the bushes. Startled, Boss dropped the ring and fled, the others following close behind.

"Ah!" Curtis exclaimed, discovering the abandoned box amongst the shrubbery. "Thank goodness!" He grabbed the box and opened it to make sure the ring was still inside. Seeing that it was, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Curtis? What are you doing down there?" Goldie had emerged from her shop and nearly burst out laughing when she saw Curtis on his hands and knees digging through the bushes.

Curtis spun around on his knee to face her, the ring still gleaming in the palm of his hand. As soon as she saw it, Goldie's hands flew to the sides of her face in surprise.

"Curtis…" she said, "is that…for me?"

Curtis looked at the ring in his hand and then back at Goldie. _No turning back now_, he thought. He lifted the ring towards Goldie, took a deep breath, and summoned all the courage he had.

"Goldie Houston, will you be my wife?"

"Curtis…" she whispered, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. Then she knelt down so that she was at eye level with him and put her hands around his. "Yes. I will."

"Score!" Zach shouted from the door to Curtis' shop, where he had been watching the whole scene unfold. Goldie peered at her son over Curtis' shoulder, smiling, and he smiled back at her as Curtis wrapped her in his arms.

Meanwhile, Howdy had appeared at Dexter's side on the windowsill of Curtis' shop. When Goldie accepted Curtis' proposal, he turned to Dexter with one paw raised in the air and exclaimed "High five!"

Instead, Dexter wrapped an arm around Howdy's neck and pulled him close.

"So, if Curtis and Goldie are going to be husband and wife, what does that make us?" he pondered. "Brothers?"

"God, I hope not," Howdy replied with a smirk. "More like…roommates?"

"I guess I can live with that."

"Good, cuz you'll have to."

Dexter smiled and gave Howdy's neck a final squeeze, then the pair hurried off to find the others and congratulate them on a job well done.

---

…and everyone lived happily ever after.

Just kidding! There is trouble brewing for our lovable heroes, Howdy and Dexter…but you'll have to wait until next chapter to find out what. Anyway, that's it for chapter 3. Now the exposition is finally done, and I can get to the good parts of the story! Huzzah.

FYI, I randomly discovered that Curtis drives a Fiat Panda from Wikipedia's "List of Hamtaro characters" page. That same page also falsely lists Goldie as the name of Miyako Namihana's (Goldie in the original Japanese version) son…Goldie is definitely the woman's name, and Zach is her son's name in the English version, though I have no idea what his name is in the original Japanese version…Anyway, that was just an aside.

Hoping that at least one or two people are still reading this fic,

Genie


	4. Unintended Consequences

Hey look, it's chapter 4! Sorry for taking so long to get this up…At least now it's summer and I am, for all intents and purposes, jobless – which means I have more time to write, hurray!

As always, read, enjoy, and review.

-Genie

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"Dex, wake up."

Dexter, who had been dozing peacefully, stretched and opened his eyes. Howdy was poking him with his foot.

"What?" Dexter groaned, sitting up. Taking stock of his surroundings, he immediately realized that he and Howdy were both in Howdy's cage at Goldie's grocery store, which came as a bit of a surprise.

"What's that sign say?" Howdy was pointing to a piece of paper in the window of the store. It was facing outside, but the paper was thin enough, and the writing on it dark enough, that the lettering was visible through the paper, appearing backwards to the two hamsters.

"What am I doing here?" Dexter asked, ignoring Howdy's request to translate the backwards lettering on the sign.

"Dunno," Howdy replied. "Curtis must'a brought you over here while you were sleeping or something. But seriously, what's with the sign? It's new, I'm sure of it. And it's in Goldie's handwriting."

The paper certainly did appear out of place amongst the various produce advertisements in the window. Dexter put a paw to his chin and surveyed the sign for a moment, attempting to make out the words from his less-than-ideal vantage point. When he finally grasped its message, his jaw dropped.

Howdy looked from Dexter's horrified expression to the paper and back again. Then he waved a paw in front of Dexter's face.

"Hello? What's it say?"

Dexter turned to Howdy abruptly and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Two hamsters, free to good home."

"What?"

"That's what the sign says."

"You mean…?"

"They're getting rid of us. Giving us away," Dexter finished, a pained expression in his eyes. He turned away and started pacing back and forth as Howdy attempted to absorb this startling piece of information.

"You sure you read that right?" he finally asked. "Goldie wouldn't…are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive," Dexter replied sternly.

"But why – "

"I don't know!" Dexter fumed, and continued his relentless pacing.

For a moment there was silence between them, Dexter pacing nervously and apparently deep in thought, and Howdy merely standing there, stunned, unable to fully process what Dexter had told him. It didn't make sense. Goldie and Zach loved him, didn't they? They'd always been so good to him. And he knew how fond Curtis was of Dexter. So why would they do this?

"It must have something to do with the engagement," Dexter said suddenly, as though he'd read Howdy's mind.

"Well, whatever it is," Howdy replied, his thoughts turning from his beloved owners to his beloved friends, the Ham-Hams, "we gotta get out of here."

Dexter stopped pacing and looked at him questioningly.

"If they've decided to get rid of us, so be it," Howdy continued. "We'll just make it easier for 'em. I'm sure Boss will let us live at the clubhouse, at least for a while."

Dexter sighed. "I suppose you're right. There's nothing we can do if we just stay here."

Howdy nodded his agreement and made his way over to the cage door. Just as he nudged it open, however, the sound of a key turning in the lock at the front door of the store startled him back into the cage. Dexter shot him a look that said something along the lines of _What are you waiting for? Run!_ But it was too late. The door swung open, Goldie appeared, and Zach burst past her into the store. He immediately approached the cage housing the two hamsters, a solemn expression on his face.

"Hi Howdy," he mumbled, opening the door to the cage to give Howdy a quick scratch on the head. "Hi Dexter."

Goldie was watching her son through cheerless eyes. She sighed softly and walked up behind him, placing both of her hands on his shoulders.

"Honey, I know you're sad," she told him gently, "but this is really the best thing for them."

"It's not fair," Zach grumbled, crossing his arms in front of him. "Why can't we keep them? It's not fair!"

Goldie crouched down behind Zach and wrapped her arms around him in an effort to console him. "We've been over this, sweetie," she sighed. "Curtis and I are going to be too busy planning the wedding to make sure they're properly taken care of, and I just don't think you're responsible enough yet to handle it yourself. They'll be much happier in a new home with someone who can give them their full attention."

_No we won't!_ Howdy wanted to scream at her. He was watching Zach closely, a profound sadness overcoming him as he saw tears forming in the boy's eyes.

"Here," Goldie was saying. She turned Zach around to face her and wiped the tears from his eyes with a corner of her apron. "Let's go pick out a snack, ok? Would that make you feel any better?"

Zach sniffled and allowed his mother to take him by the hand and lead him to the back of the store where the cookies and cakes and other goodies were shelved. Howdy was still watching him when Dexter placed a paw on his shoulder. He looked up.

"I'm really gonna miss that kid," Howdy said.

"I know," Dexter replied. "Maybe we can visit sometime. But now is our chance to make an escape without them noticing."

Howdy nodded and followed Dexter to the cage door. This time, however, before they could make their move, they heard the tinkling of the little bell above the store's front door as it opened once again. Instinctively, they turned to the source of the sound and saw a stranger entering the store – a youngish man followed by a little girl. The girl's eyes were immediately drawn to the cage by the window and before they had a chance to resume their escape, Howdy and Dexter were being fawned over by the youngster.

"Good morning!" Goldie smiled warmly, her attitude changing drastically from what it had been moments earlier, and greeted the customer at the front of the shop. "What can I help you with today?"

"Actually, I'm here about the hamsters," the man replied, returning the smile. He gestured to the young girl who had accompanied him into the store. "I saw the sign in the window last night, and my daughter made me promise to bring her in first thing in the morning today so she could see them before somebody else took them away. I've been telling her she could get a pet for a while now, and I guess there's no better time than the present."

"She's a darling little thing," Goldie said, approaching the girl. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Casey," the girl replied, without taking her eyes off of the hamsters in front of her.

"Well, Casey," Goldie said. "let me introduce you." She reached into the cage and scooped the hamsters into her hands, then knelt down in front of the girl and held them up to her eye level. "The brown one is Howdy, and the grey one is Dexter."

Casey smiled and reached out a tentative hand to pet them. Her father put a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her.

"Well, honey, what do you think?"

"They're cute," she said, and giggled.

"Which one would you like to take home with us?"

One. Which _one_. Howdy and Dexter looked at each other with the same alarmed expression and it was clear that the same thought was running through both of their minds. It was bad enough that they were being given away, carted off to who knows where, probably never to see their friends again – but they were being separated from one another as well? The last thing they had to hold on to was each other, and now it seemed as though that might be taken from them as well.

"I can't decide!" Casey was saying, still giggling in an adorable and somehow simultaneously infuriating manner.

"You know, you're more than welcome to take them both," Goldie said with a smile. "They'd probably be happier together, anyway."

At this, Casey jumped and clapped her hands. She turned and looked up at her father expectantly.

"Can we, daddy?" she pleaded. "Can we can we can we?"

He mulled it over in his head for a moment, then smiled and relented.

"I suppose two hamsters won't be that much harder to care for than one," he said.

Howdy and Dexter breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. At least they'd have each other, if nothing else.

Goldie put them back in the cage and carried it outside to the man's car. Zach was still sulking angrily in the back of the store and refused to come out, but Curtis emerged from his store next door to issue a heartfelt goodbye to the two hamsters. He was clearly saddened at this parting of ways, but he did his best to conceal it. And then he was back to work behind the counter at the eyeglass shop, and the young girl was seated in the back of her father's car as Goldie placed the cage with Howdy and Dexter inside it beside her on the seat.

As the car pulled away from the storefronts and out of town, the two hamsters watched the scenery fly by outside the window and wondered whether this was really the end of the life they had known and loved for so long.


	5. Gone

I thought it was about time that I updated this. Here's chapter 5. Hope to have more Nagging Dark soon, too...

Peace!

-Genie

* * *

Pashmina, Penelope, Bijou and Sandy were giggling and gossiping energetically as they approached Goldie's storefront. They were thoroughly wrapped up in the excitement of the blossoming romance between Curtis and Goldie, and had decided amongst themselves to make a quick stop at the grocery store on their way to the clubhouse, just to see how things were progressing between the newly engaged lovers. They arrived just in time to see Goldie taking a small handwritten sign down from the window of the store, but not in time to see what was written on it.

"I wonder what that was about," Bijou said, pressing her face to the glass pane of the window to see inside the store.

"I don't know," Sandy replied, taking her place next to Bijou, "but does Goldie seem a bit…sad to you?"

"Sad?" Pashmina fell in line with the other two and joined them in staring through the window into the grocery store. Goldie did, indeed, appear to be in poor spirits; her eyes were downcast and her arms were crossed over her chest. "You don't suppose…Curtis called off the engagement?" Pashmina gasped. Penelope looked up at her in anticipation; she wasn't entirely sure what was going on but she could tell it wasn't anything good, and anything that upset Pashmina naturally upset her as well.

"I don't think so," Sandy replied. "Look." She pointed towards the store's interior and Pashmina's gaze followed. Curtis was now at Goldie's side, his arms wrapped around her. He appeared to be comforting her.

"What do you suppose is upsetting her, then?" Bijou wondered.

As if to answer her question, at that moment Zach burst angrily through the grocery store's front door. The door slammed shut behind him; he took no notice of it and sat down on the pavement with his head in his hands.

"I can't believe they just…gave them away," he said to himself, sniffling. "I could have taken care of them. Why doesn't she trust me? I'm not a stupid kid…"

"Gave them away?" Pashmina gasped. "He can't mean…" She turned her attention back to the window. Ignoring the scene between the humans inside, she scanned the windowsill, where Howdy's cage used to rest. Nothing.

"No, it can't be…" She made her way briskly over to Curtis' window. Dexter's cage was in its usual place, but it was empty and forlorn.

With tears in her eyes, Pashmina looked back at her three companions, who had followed her to Curtis' storefront.

"They're gone," she told them, her voice quivering. "Just…gone."

* * *

"This can't be happening," Dexter was saying to himself. He and Howdy were still in the cage, situated in Casey's lap as her father's car rumbled down the street. Dexter was lying flat on his back, staring blankly at the roof of the car through the bars of the cage.

"I'm pretty sure it's happening," Howdy replied. He was sitting up, watching cars and trees and houses fly by outside the window. "But damn, it sucks."

Dexter was silent. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that maybe somehow when he opened them he would discover that it was all just a bad dream, and he would be back in his own cage inside the eyeglass shop, and Curtis would still be the same eccentric and painfully single guy that he had always been. A weirdo, maybe, but a faithful and loving owner who would never in a thousand years even consider giving away his equally-faithful pet hamster…

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least we have each other, right?" Howdy said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He turned around and gave Dexter a playful jab in the ribs. "Right?"

Dexter brushed Howdy's paw aside and sighed. "Yeah, I guess," he said. "But what about the clubhouse and the Ham-Hams?" He sat up suddenly. "What about our owners, huh? What about Curtis and Goldie? They just got rid of us like yesterday's garbage, and I'm supposed to look on the bright side?"

He could have kept going, but at that moment the car slowed, then came rumbling to a stop. Casey unbuckled her seat belt and jumped to her feet as her father opened the car door to let her out.

"We're home, baby," he said with a smile. Casey leapt to the ground and made a beeline for the front door of their house, swinging the hamster cage in her arms such that Howdy and Dexter were thrown unceremoniously against its sides. "Careful with that, honey," her father cautioned as he trailed his daughter to the doorstep. "Don't want to give our new friends a scare, do you?"

Casey waited eagerly as her father fumbled with his keys and proceeded to unlock the door. Taking advantage of the brief moment of calm, Dexter steadied himself and shot Howdy a look that couldn't have been clearer.

_I am NOT going to enjoy living here._

Howdy attempted a feeble grin in reply, but it was evident that the sentiment was mutual.

* * *

The clubhouse was abuzz with friendly chatter when Pashmina, Penelope, Bijou and Sandy entered a short time later. The previous day's activities, and the excitement accompanying them, were still fresh in everyone's minds; as a result, it was several moments before anyone noticed the gloomy expressions clouding the girls' faces, a pointed change from their usual cheerful demeanors.

Maxwell, who was naturally sensitive and perceptive, was the first to pick up on the shift in atmosphere that had accompanied the girls into the clubhouse. A moment later he was placing a tentative paw on Sandy's shoulder.

"Is…something wrong, Sandy?" he asked, in a hushed tone that went unnoticed by the rest of the gang.

"It's Howdy and Dexter," she replied flatly. "They're…"

"Hey yeah, where are those two anyway?" This came from Boss, who had actually taken notice when the girls had appeared a few moments earlier – after all, whenever Bijou was present, his attention was rarely on anything else. He had been listening in when Maxwell approached Sandy, and, upon hearing Howdy and Dexter's names mentioned, couldn't resist speaking up. He'd been wondering about their absence that morning himself.

Sandy shot Boss a look that was a mixture of grief and anger (she didn't have much patience for being interrupted, as it were), then took a deep breath and answered him loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"THEY'RE GONE!" she shouted, and the rest of the clubhouse immediately fell silent. The full attention of everyone in the room was now on her. "Howdy and Dexter – they're gone," she continued. "Their owners gave them away. Don't know where they are or if we'll ever see them again."

Pashmina, who had always very pointedly ignored Howdy and Dexter's romantic advances but nonetheless nurtured a deep fondness for both of them, burst into tears following Sandy's pronouncement. Hearing one of her best friends put into words one of her worst fears was overwhelming. She turned and fled the clubhouse, with Penelope at her heels.

"Pashmina!" Bijou called after her, trailing her out of the room. Sandy took another look around the clubhouse, then sighed and followed suit.

A stark silence pervaded the clubhouse in the girls' absence. The euphoria that had characterized the room only moments ago had been replaced virtually instantaneously by a pervasive and painful distress. The sudden and unexpected nature of Sandy's outburst had left everyone dazed and confused, and questioning to varying degrees the accuracy of her statements.

"I'll just…I'll go find out what's going on," Maxwell muttered after what felt like ten minutes but couldn't have been more than thirty seconds. He shuffled out the door, and the rest of the Ham-Hams watched him leave. After he had disappeared from view, Boss let out a long, low sigh and sat down in his easy chair, pressing a paw to his forehead.

"I guess now we just wait," he said, not knowing what else to say. He crossed his arms and sank further into the chair. "Wait, and hope for the best."

* * *

Review, please?

And yes, things will start picking up soon...I am ready to get to the H/D fluffy goodness (although that is still a little ways away...)


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